Controversy has trailed the visit by the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria. The CAN leadership, led by its President, Dr. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, went about two weeks ago to felicitate and solidarize with President Buhari on his victory at the recent polls. The association of Christian elders known as the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has taken serious exception to the visit. Indeed, they are disappointed and they consider the visit an error of judgment. First, the victory is a subject of litigation. The President’s most formidable challenger, Atiku Abubakar is already at the tribunal saying the victory was of doubtful fairness and was fraudulently procured. The Christian elders comprising men of high standing in the society with Solomon Asemota, a SAN, as leader, made it plain that they are raising opposition to the visit not because Buhari is a Moslem; indeed, the Opposition leader, Atiku is himself a Moslem and of the same ethnic stock as the President. Both are from the North. Apart from the timing, the visit was ill considered from the point of view of what Christians have suffered under Buhari’s watch, they argue.
They refer to several deaths in Kajuru and Adara in Southern Kaduna, the Christian belt of Kaduna State. “There are increasing reports of clerics routinely kidnapped and murdered in the Middle Belt and parts of the North”, their statement said. “These are in addition to genocide in Benue, Taraba, Plateau and other parts of southern Kaduna. So far no arrest has been made and no one has been prosecuted. Therefore, for any Christian to go and shake the hand of the man who has done nothing to stop the genocide is morally and spiritually reprehensible.”
The Christian elders also mention the way the election went, knocking and classifying it as a debacle. “In addition to the concerns expressed above, it should be remembered that we all witnessed the debacles during the campaigns for the 2019 elections as well as the violent conduct of the elections. We witnessed the widespread application of ‘inconclusive’ Elections where the opposition party had the upper hand. We saw with regret the way Kano, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Lagos, Taraba, Bayelsa and Plateau state Election among others were handled.”
They see in the visit as an attempt to use CAN to legitimize an illegality, and conclude that the congratulatory visit could not have been on behalf of the Nigerian Christians.Incidentally, the Elders Forum is not the only collection of the Christian faithful that have taken umbrage against CAN. A group called Concerned Christian Forum of Nigeria (CCFN), has. Its own grouse was different. It in fact accused CAN of foot-dragging paying a solidarity visit to President Buhari. Left to CCFN the visit ought to have taken place earlier. Dismissing CAN as the “Christian Chapter of the Opposition”, the group with James Amedu as National Co-ordinator, suggested that CAN held back its visit to see the direction the election petition would go “before deciding to visit a President-elect and bestow prayers upon him.” Mr. Amedu accused the CAN leadership of “now hiding under a new found nationalism to influence a party it vehemently opposed during the elections.” He would like to see CAN steer clear of politics. Calling for a Christian President of the Senate was already bordering on the realm of dabbling in politics. In his view a better alternative would have been seeing CAN organize a retreat for Christians among the just-elected lawmakers and impress on them the need to conduct themselves well. On the basis of their shining behaviour as Christians, they would prove themselves eminently qualified to lead the National Assembly.
The Concerned Christian Forum said it was particularly worried that the CAN leadership was pushing, albeit subtly, for a Christian Senate President. The group went on: “The strict logic offered by that statement was that the President and the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) are Muslims hence a Senate President of the Christian faith will give all Nigerians a sense of belonging.”
I want to believe that Mr. Amedu did not say all he wanted to say that is making his group specially troubled over a call by CAN during the visit to the President that he should use his influence among his party men since they constitute the majority in the National Assembly to see to the emergence of a Senate President who is a Christian. In view of the level to which religious differences have been pushed and the attendant fears we cannot pretend do not exist, is it not desirable that there should be a deliberate effort to forge a sense of belonging among all Nigerians regardless of the faith they may profess? Is it not desirable that we organize our polity in a way to engender trust and confidence in the system? There are three arms of government. There should be a deliberate move at inclusiveness. Of course, there is no doubt about it that all people should conduct themselves well and live by example. It is not just in order to secure offices; it is in the fundamental interest of everyone. But how many are living according to the Teachings of the Truth Bringers sent by the Most High? If we recognize we are not yet there, we must then take practical steps to strike a balance and live in harmony among ourselves. The kernel of my discourse, however, is about the visit of the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria to the President-elect. Should the visit have taken place? The answer is both yes and no!
There is no way a visit would not have to take place eventually. The issue is when is the appropriate time for a such a congratulatory visit. Would it have been too late if delayed until a week or even a month after the President is sworn in? I say eventually because for an important body like CAN, it is wise to have and keep open a direct line of communication between it and the President. The relationship between them even in the interest of their followers cannot always be frosty and combustible. You never know when there would be need for intercession by either party, by the government or the CAN leadership. The President may wish to speak to the CAN president to intervene in a matter found to be developing among a group of Christians so he can nib it in the bud. The CAN leader may need to call the President to draw his attention to some urgent issues in Christendom. Such an exchange would be difficult if the door of communication is not left ajar.
The speech made by the CAN president, Dr. Samson Supo Ayokunle during the controversial visit was well crafted— kaleidoscopic, touching on killings in different parts of the country, the protracted Boko Haram insurgency as well as Leah Sharibu and the Chibok girls still in captivity. It will be five years on Sunday, 14 April since the Chibok girls were abducted from their school. There are still 112 of the girls left in the hands of their Boko Haram captors. Dapchi girls were snatched away on 19 February, last year. Of the 110 girls kidnapped, only Sharibu is left unaccounted for. His father is now bed-ridden from stroke he suffered as a result of the plight of his daughter from captivity. A line of communication between CAN and the President would enable the former to mount pressure on the latter unceasingly. Reverend Ayokunle spoke of the imperative of religious balance in the composition of the National Assembly. All that is good if the timing were auspicious. But it was not.
In other words all this is beside the point. The same speech would still have been made at a later date after the fog of who becomes President come 29 May is cleared.
The issue is: Is the visit appropriate at this point in time? Right now, the matter of who becomes President as from May ending is still foggy. CAN spokesman gave the impression in response to the criticisms of the Nigerian Christian Elders Forum that INEC is the final authority on elections and what we have is a faiti accompli. In his words: “We work with the authority that be and if INEC is the constituted authority with the mandate to conduct elections and declare the winner what reasons do we have to say no to it? It means we are being partisan if we go against the decision of INEC.” He was in error. That is a jejune argument. Everyone knows that the courts have the power to overturn an election and they have done so in several instances. Rauf Aregbesola, Rotimi Amaechi and Kayode Fayemi were governors only flowing from the declaration of courts where they challenged the decision of INEC on their purported loss at the polls. It is, indeed, now that they have gone on a congratulatory visit as a body, aware that the victory of Buhari is being challenged, that they have taken sides.
CAN leadership did not exhibit wisdom and tact on the matter. It is obvious, contrary to what a bishop would like us to believe yesterday, sufficient consultations were not made, especially with Christians at the receiving end of bloodletting in places listed by the Elders Forum—Benue, Taraba, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna. In October, a monarch in Southern Kaduna fighting the reorganization of kingdoms in Southern Kaduna by the state government, was first kidnapped only for his body to be recovered days later. Are these not Christians CAN is supposed to protect and speak for? The heartbroken experiences are still fresh. Hundreds are hurting; they are in pains. Thousands are in IDP camps, many are in hospital. Were their leaders consulted about the planned visit? They are the primary constituency of CAN. The bishop said Rev. Ayokunle consulted widely before finally but reluctantly accepted to congratulate Buhari. He said the CAN president had confronted the Buhari Administration more than any church leaders in Nigeria. He may have forgotten the immovable rock of protection Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie provided for the Christian fold and the thorn he constituted at the time of General Babangida!
It is said what is second nature to you is not yours. In other words, what you have not experienced is not yours. The wise saying must find validity in the conduct of the CAN leadership. Does the feeling of their supposed members in that belt not count? A leadership filled with disgust about the experiences of members of its association of which CAN is their umbrella organization would exercise discretion at a time like this if only to reassure them that it has their wellbeing in mind and it shares in their in agony and confused state. The CAN spokesman said it has disbanded NCEF and they have no reason to join issues with CAN. “If CAN is going right, they will go left. CAN has no business with the elders forum on this matter. Most of the leaders of CAN were in the team who went to see President Muhammadu Buhari”
Yes, the elders forum may cease being an affiliate of CAN, they do not cease being Christians on that account. Given their standing in the society they remain stakeholders. All stakeholders don’t have to be members of CAN in order to be consulted on grave matters. The visit was the height of insensitivity. That is the point the wise and concerned elders are making, and they are right.
